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Solar Decathlon: A sneak peek at the houses

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Photo 18 of 21

Photo: DOE

18 of 21

City College of New York, Solar Roofpod

The first 2011 Solar Decathlon home to catch our attention back in September 2010, Team New York's stunningly forward-thinking Solar Roofpod is a sustainable living solution for vertical, densely populated environments like New York City where space is at a premium. In other words, it's a home — just think of it as a solar-powered "penthouse with a purpose" in the sky — to be assembled on the rooftop of an existing mid-rise building. That said, this one-story modular dwelling comprised of 64 wood-framed "building blocks" will obviously not be installed atop a "host building" (read: skyscraper) during this month's solar home building showdown in D.C., so visitors will have to use a bit of old-fashioned imagination about the Solar Roofpod's intended location (bonus points for feigning acrophobia).

City College of New York, Solar Roofpod

The first 2011 Solar Decathlon home to catch our attention back in September 2010, Team New York's stunningly forward-thinking Solar Roofpod is a sustainable living solution for vertical, densely populated environments like New York City where space is at a premium. In other words, it's a home — just think of it as a solar-powered "penthouse with a purpose" in the sky — to be assembled on the rooftop of an existing mid-rise building. That said, this one-story modular dwelling comprised of 64 wood-framed "building blocks" will obviously not be installed atop a "host building" (read: skyscraper) during this month's solar home building showdown in D.C., so visitors will have to use a bit of old-fashioned imagination about the Solar Roofpod's intended location (bonus points for feigning acrophobia).